Produced by Suzanne Shell, Jeannie Howse and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net * * * * * +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | Transcriber's Note: | | | | Inconsistent hyphenation matches the original document. | | | | A number of obvious typographical errors have been corrected | | in this text. For a complete list, please see the bottom of | | this document. | | | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ * * * * * [Illustration: SHE STARTED TOWARD THE DOOR] IN SEARCH OF THE UNKNOWN BY ROBERT W. CHAMBERS AUTHOR OF "THE MAIDS OF PARADISE" "THE MAID-AT-ARMS" "CARDIGAN" "THE CONSPIRATORS" ETC. NEW YORK AND LONDON HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 1904 Copyright, 1904, by ROBERT W. CHAMBERS. _All rights reserved._ Published June, 1904. TO MY FRIEND E. LE GRAND BEERS MY DEAR LE GRAND,--You and I were early drawn together by a common love of nature. Your researches into the natural history of the tree-toad, your observations upon the mud-turtles of Providence Township, your experiments with the fresh-water lobster, all stimulated my enthusiasm in a scientific direction, which has crystallized in this helpful little book, dedicated to you. Pray accept it as an insignificant payment on account for all I owe to you. THE AUTHOR. PREFACE It appears to the writer that there is urgent need of more "nature books"--books that are scraped clear of fiction and which display only the carefully articulated skeleton of fact. Hence this little volume, presented with some hesitation and more modesty. Various chapters have, at intervals, appeared in the pages of various publications. The continued narrative is now published for the first time; and the writer trusts that it may inspire enthusiasm for natural and scientific research, and inculcate a passion for accurate observation among the young. THE AUTHOR. _April 1, 1904._ Where the slanting forest eaves, Shingled tight with greenest leaves, Sweep the scented meadow-sedge, Let us snoop along the edge; Let us pry in hidden nooks, Laden with our nature books, Scaring birds with happy cries, Chloroforming butterflies, Rooting up each woodland plant, Pinning beetle, fly, and ant, So we may identify What we've ruined, by-and-by. IN SEARCH OF THE UNKNOWN I